By As we debate the hotly-contested issue of BDS here in the United States, the situation in Palestine — particularly in Gaza — remains grim, with last week being one of the most vicious and violent weeks on record in the past few years.
According to Al–Jazeera, last week’s attacks at the south of Gaza has been the most violent scene between the two countries since the war in 2014.
After 300 rockets were launched, the death toll has so far risen to seven Palestinians including three young boys, a Hamas senior commander, and one Israeli civilian.
According to Palestinian groups, Israel provoked the Palestinians following a botched raid late last Sunday, which Israeli media is reporting as an intelligence-gathering mission gone wrong, but what actually appears to have been Israel breaking the cease-fire agreement.
This past Tuesday night, Hamas and other militant groups in the Gaza strip said they have accepted another ceasefire agreement. Benjamin Netanyahu, Jerusalem’s prime minister also made a statement last Sunday night following the attacks claiming they “can lead to unnecessary war.”
However, officials say this is temporary and both parties authorize to keep the peace as long as the other obeys.
On the contrary, there was a brief calm before the storm where real progress and restoration was taking place in Gaza. Egypt, along with the UN, with funding from Qatar, agreed to act as a broker, paying off Gaza’s debt in an effort to restore its fuels and energy, ever since Hamas, a group administrating the Gaza Strip since 2007, took over.
“Each side is also under growing pressure to push the other to the brink”, and without realizing, both are pushing beyond their limits.
However, The International Crisis Group predicted this most recent violent outburst. They made a statement this summer regarding the rising conflicts between both nations saying, “Each side is also under growing pressure to push the other to the brink”, and without realizing, both are pushing beyond their limits.
What’s even more absurd is Trump’s undisputed support to Jerusalem. He has made it clear that he does not see the United State’s role as an arbitrator, but as a champion of Israel. This was made clear when Ivanka Trump and her husband, both part of the official U.S. delegation, made a trip to Jerusalem earlier this year for the controversial opening of a U.S. embassy where many opposing Palestinian protestors were present.
Political analyst Mohammad Oweis stated the ceasefire should only last, “as long as the Israelis do not provoke the Palestinians. The Israelis provoked the Palestinians into this latest round of fighting. They are the ones who need to stop.” Oweis made a comparison between Trump’s tactics to those of Jerusalem’s against the people already in fear; only creating more uncertainty. “They seem to have learnt from Donald Trump that by provoking people, attacking them verbally and physically, [can] change facts and the reality on the ground.”
After controversial news broke about the 2014 war, Israeli’s main government watchdog claimed in a report highlighting the unfair advantage Jerusalem had against the Palestinian army and its civilians. According to UN figures, a total of 2,251 Palestinians died, more than half of them civilians, and 74 Israelis, including six civilians. The intense fighting of over 50 days resulted in 100,000 people homeless.
The international Crisis Group made a statement explaining the fundamental actions that must be taken to offer peace for all, “The only viable exit from the ongoing cycle of escalation is for international actors to use carrots and sticks to bring about intra-Palestinian reconciliation, thereby allowing the Palestinian Authority (PA) to govern the Gaza Strip.”